Rafale
Owned By
| Operator: | Qatar | Egypt |
| Status: | On Order | In Service / On Order |
| Number: | 24 | Delivered: 9 / On Order: 15 |
| Cost: | $7.5 billion | Part of a $5.7 billion deal |
| Acquired: | Deal reached May 4 2015; First deliveries expect in 2017 | Deal reached February 2015; First deliveries July 2015 |
| General Specs | ||
| Country of origin: | France | |
| Role: | Multirole fighter | |
| Manufacturer: | Dassault Aviation | |
| Introduced: | 1986 | |
| Power plant: | 2 x Snecma M88-2 trubofan | |
| Thrust: | Dry: 10,971 lbs | |
| Afterburner: 16,620 lbs | ||
| Wingspan: | 35.8 ft (10.9 m) | |
| Length: | 50.2 ft (15.3 m) | |
| Height: | 17.4 ft (5.3 m) | |
| Weight (empty): | 22,000 lbs (9,979 kg) | |
| Maximum takeoff weight: | 54,000 lbs (24,494 kg) | |
| Fuel Capacity: | Internal: 10,300 lbs (4672 kg) | |
| External: up to 14,700 lbs (6667.8 kg) | ||
| Max Speed: | Mach 1.8 (1,484 mph/2,389.1 kmh) | |
| Ceiling: | 50,000 ft (15,240 m) | |
| Range: | ||
| Combat radius: | 1,150.8 miles (1,852 km) | |
| Crew: | 1 (C model); 2 (B model) | |
| Armament: | 14 x hardpoints and 21,000 lbs (9525.4 kg) | |
| Guns: | 1 x 30mm Nexter 30M791 internal cannon | |
| 30mm Type CC630 twin external gun pod | ||
| Air-to-air: | MBDA MICA heating seeking or active radar homing | |
| Magic II | ||
| MBDA Meteor | ||
| Air-to-ground: | AM39 Exocet | |
| Brimstone missiles | ||
| SCALP/Storm Shadow stand-off missile | ||
| AASM Hammer 125, 250, 500, and 1000 GPS guided bombs | ||
| GBU-58 Paveway II 250 lbs laser-guided bomb (LGB) | ||
| GBU-12 Paveway II 500 lbs LGB | ||
| GBU-22 Paveway II 500 lbs LGB | ||
| GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II 500 lbs LGB | ||
| GBU-24 A/B Paveway III 2,000 lbs LGB | ||
| GBU-10 Paveway II 2,000 lbs LGB | ||
| Mk81 250 lbs dumb bomb | ||
| Mk82 500 lbs dumb bomb | ||
| Mk83 1000 lbs dumb bomb | ||
| Mk84 2,000 lbs dumb bomb | ||
| LR68 68mm rockets | ||
| ASMPA Nuclear stand-off missile | ||
| Radar/Sensors: | Thales RBE2 Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar | |
| Thales Front sector optronics (FSO) | ||
| Damocles laser targeting pod | ||
| Areos reconnaissance pod | ||
| Countermeasures/Defenses: | Thales/MBDA Spectra electronic warfare suite | |
| Misc Systems: | Link 16 data link | |
Sources:
- “Specifications and Performance Data.” Dassault Aviation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
- “A Fully Optimized Airframe.” Dassault Aviation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
- “Rafale Marine.” Marine Nationale. Republic of France, 8 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 June 2014.
- “A Full Range of Advanced Weapons.” Dassault Aviation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
- “Know Your Rafale: India’s Latest Fighter Aircraft Acquisition.” AA Me, IN. N.p., 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 June 2014.
- “A Wide Range of Smart and Discrete Sensors.” Dassault Aviation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2014.
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